


The Flow of Blood

by visionaryScribe, x_Silent_x_Limbo_x



Category: Homestuck, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, other highschool animes as I feel like adding them for kicks
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, M/M, after victory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-07-28 20:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16249517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/visionaryScribe/pseuds/visionaryScribe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_Silent_x_Limbo_x/pseuds/x_Silent_x_Limbo_x
Summary: "This is because we cheated isn't it?" Dave asked resisting the urge to sigh."Three fucking sessions and this is the hoofbeastshit we have to deal with." Karkat snarled thoroughly fed up."Well, as much as I enjoy the caterwauling these fiends won't dissipate while we stand around woolgathering." Rose remarked far too pleased.





	1. The Bad Beginning

When Karkat woke he expected to still be holding Dave’s hand, he was sorely disappointed that he was not. Something had shifted, he could feel it in his blood, like a change in heartbeat. One, the beat of his blood-pusher was off and a pit of dread filled his gut as he took in the rest of what was different. Karkat reached out for his bonds, petrified that he may have lost them. Karkat was the one lost however when he  _ did _ find them. They had changed, not completely no, the bonds he made seemed more relaxed somehow. Even Gamzee’s bond was less hostile and more like it used to be when he was on sopor and he was not at all sure how to feel about that.

 

What really worried him was his bond to Dave. Though it held the same warm affection and devotion, there was a fluttering nervousness that had not been present since before they had gotten together. Fuck, he hoped they did not need to have another ‘no homo’ talk. He was not sure he could do that again without punching Dave for regressing. Rose would surely have a field day if she caught wind of a necessity for one.

 

Karkat sighed refusing to open his eyes to this new world until the most important things to him made sense. What was this setback? Why was the comforting but frustrating tangle of his Blood shifted in this way? What had this wretched game done to his friends? To his matesprit-boyfriend?

 

Karkat thought hard and felt out his bonds, getting flashes of a life parallel to his own, or at least imitating it. This life mirrored his real one to a degree that was eerie and yet he noticed that in these false implanted memories he and everyone he knew was human. Kankri was his ‘brother’ and Karkat had vague memories of being raised by a paranoid man that reminded him of Crabdad, though this one was human. He still died in an accident it seemed resulting in Karkat being sent into something called the ‘foster system’ where he had stayed for nearly three years before someone had found his ‘brother’ and Kankri’s adoptive father Spades Slick had taken custody of him as well.

 

At least Rose, Dave, Kanaya, Terezi, and Vriska had all been in the foster system for those three years with him. Their own lives somewhat mirroring their previous lives. Karkat felt a little guilty for being grateful about that. Dave’s uncle, Davin had taken custody of him while Rose’s aunt Rosalin had taken her in after a long grueling custody battle with her mother Roxanne. After Terezi’s guardian died her last remaining cousin took her in after having to prove she had the time to be a single parent to her. Vriska’s own mother got her back after getting clean and sober. 

 

Gamzee it seemed had been different. He had been as violent and reclusive as the meteor but apparently had not killed or permanently maimed anyone. Not that he had not tried. This meant he had gone into a juvenile detention center rather than the foster system. After his stint in Juvie he was released back into his father’s care and given proper medication and therapy. Oh the things wealth could buy. He would have thought more about these false memories if not for the sudden knocking on his door.

 

“Karkat you’re going to be late for school!” Kankri called through his door.

 

Karkat sighed and sat up feeling a wave of vertigo. He was almost tempted to keep his eyes closed and deny his new reality and these false memories for a short while longer. But this was not the first time this Game had fucked him over and somehow he knew even after winning, it would not be the last. Karkat put his head in his hands his elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, blinking for a moment to get used to the light seeping in from the window before he looked at his hands and groaned. His hands were brown. Not as dark a brown as John or Jane, or even Jade or Jake, but still a notable light brown. His hands were as small as ever and the lack of claws was unsettling. He did not even want to see a reflection pane dreading what he may look like as a human. 

 

Beside his bed on his nightstand was something vaguely resembling his crab watch, though it appeared to just be a purple crab casing for a square device. His cellphone, a false memory helpfully supplied. He picked it up and checked the time instinctively knowing how it worked and what to do.

 

“Karkat are you okay?” Kankri called through his door again causing Karkat to snarl.

 

“Fuck off Kankri! I’ll go when I’m fucking ready!” Karkat shouted at him. Kankri grumbled something but left anyway.

 

Karkat sighed and got up looking around his room. Almost all of it looked like a human version of his own room on Alternia, familiar but with an uncanny foreign aspect that made it uncomfortable. It was almost as bad as the fleshy human suit that had replaced his proper gray chitinous exoskeleton. He had not even gone through his adult molt yet and he got landed with some other body. This was not as bad as some of his other day terrors but it was right up there.

 

Deciding he had dallied long enough Karkat went to his wardrobe and pulled out what he vaguely remembered as his school uniform. It was a powder blue monstrosity that Dave would have loved in his own obnoxious color but grated against Karkat’s own lowblood pride. He knew logically it was more Jane’s color than some highblood color but he missed his anonymous gray and black scheme.

 

Karkat shrugged off his black sleep clothes folding them neatly before putting them on his sleeping platform before he dressed and put his crabcell in his back pocket. Once he was dressed he made his sleeping platform as well. He grabbed his already packed bag and left his room. He had reached the communal hive block when he was tackled to the floor by a large carpacian sized white blur. The hard caraprice digging into his soft human body and pinching him. The all too familiar chittering had him blinking back tears however and he almost began to sob as he recognized the familiar white shell of his custodian.

 

“Crabdad?” Karkat asked breathlessly. 

 

A chittering Karkat knew to be his own name spoken with affection and the longing of having been missed.

 

“I missed you too Crabdad…” Karkat whispered his voice raspy with barely restrained tears.

 

“Karkat please, this dawdling will make you late for your first day. I’ve taken the liberty of packing your breakfast and lunch for you as you have yet to eat anything. Rose and Dave should arrive soon to pick you up.” Kankri babbled as he stood at the entrance to the kitchen. 

 

Karkat ignored him of course to hug his Crabdad tightly. Crabdad was so much smaller than he remembered but his scent and voice were the same. Karkat even made the same chittering screeches of affection back at Crabdad surprised for a moment that his now human throat had allowed him. Kankri sighed but smiled a little, he was happy to see Karkat so genuinely affectionate with his lusus companion, though he worried the affectionate display had been drawn out due to a night terror of some kind. Karkat finally disentangled himself from his Crabdad to look at Kankri. Kankri fidgeted now that he had Karkat’s attention.

 

“Karkat...um, if there is anything troubling you I want you to know that you can always talk to me. I want us to be closer.” Kankri said with an odd sense of vulnerability. Karkat looked at Kankri pensively. It was easy to think of this Kankri as someone different considering that he only vaguely resembled his troll self. Karkat wondered if he currently looked like this Kankri. He hoped not considering his candy red eyes.

 

“Thanks Kankri….I’ll keep that in mind.” Karkat replied a little roughly.

 

“If, if you are comfortable with it you may call me ‘bro’ or ‘brother’. _ If _ you are comfortable that is.” Kankri was quick to emphasize the requirement of Karkat’s comfort for the title. Karkat still frowned however.

 

“Maybe when we know each other.” Karkat excused entirely uncomfortable with the whole thing. After all he had never felt the need for a guardian beyond Crabdad before and trolls did not actually have familial units like humans did. Karkat was distracted by the sudden vibration in his back pocket from his crabcell. He pulled it out and read the text from what he saw was Dave. A short missive indicating his group had arrived. “That’s Dave. We’ll talk later Kankri, thanks for the food.” 

 

Karkat accepted the thermal food sack awkwardly and ran out the door. He ran down the stairs of the hivestem he lived in and paused at the glass doors when he saw a long black luxury four-wheel machine. He could not help but think that the vehicle was obnoxious. Still, he somehow knew that his Crew was inside so he opened the door and went out to meet it. He climbed inside and was relieved to be with his closest bonds for all of a few seconds before that awful wrongness sank in. He opened his eyes and looked at Rose, Dave, Kanaya, Terezi, and Vriska and realized there was a wall between himself and them. These were his best friends but...something was wrong, like there was some invisible film between them stopping them from being in the same room. Tears stung at Karkat’s eyes and Dave’s face twitched in what Karkat could still recognise as worry.

 

“Hey bro, you okay?” Dave asked his voice the careful flat monotone he had painstakingly maintained before they started dating.

 

“I...I’m okay. Night terrors...just night terrors.” Karkat said his voice cracking just slightly. Kanaya did not hesitate for a moment to pull him into her arms, usually she hesitated concerned she may accidentally harm him.

 

“What happened Karkat?” Kanaya asked gently.

 

“...I dreamed we all played a game together. But everyone died and even though we won...I was left alone.” Karkat sighed only vaguely explaining his trauma. It was like all his bonds were under water and he just could not seem to see them or feel them right.

 

“Relaaaaaaaax crybaby, we’re all here.” Vriska drawled out in her same unique way.

 

“Hm, well today is a new beginning for all of us. We are entering high school. Let us forget the woes of before and look to the future we shall make together.” Rose said calm and positive.

 

Karkat could not help but feel that he was being punished somehow. What Rose said at least helped him to identify what was really wrong with everything. They did not remember. His Crew, perhaps even his entire Swarm had forgotten the Game entirely. Perhaps he was the last remaining memory of it. Either way he felt as though there was a sudden rift between himself and everyone he had ever cared about. At least he had time during the drive to calm down and get himself in order before they started their human school feeding.

 

Karkat decided to ignore the hollow feeling building in his chest and focus instead on his friends and their uniforms. Though Dave was wearing the same pattern and cut that Karkat was, his uniform had been dyed a harsh and vibrant red. Dave’s color. Terezi and Vriska had taken a more subtle approach and just worn the male uniforms rather than the female ones. Rose and Kanaya however had been the ones to make the most  _ alterations _ .

 

Rather than the pastel yellow that the original princess-like ruffled dress was supposed to be Kanaya had chosen a luxurious and elegant jade color that suited her caste perfectly, though he did not think she had a way to remember that. Her dress looked less childish than the standard with less ruffles and more sleek grace and lovely patterns of black just barely keeping it to the style of the female uniform.

 

Rose had really gone all out with emphasizing the princess look with full floor length petticoats and a lovely lavender shade to match her eyes. She looked as though she had come right from the humans’ Elizabethan era of royalty. Far too much cloth and far too much pomp. Yet it seemed to fit her so well and Karkat had the feeling that should she need to she could shed the skirts in seconds to tear apart some wayward fool should she need to. That was just the kind of girl Rose was, vicious and exactly the kind of girl Karkat liked on his team.

 

“You’re all supposed to be wearing the uniform you know.” Karkat scolded them immediately frowning despite being glad to see that they had altered the uniforms.

 

“I saw nothing in the rule book they gave us that said we could not simply  _ improve _ upon the uniform design.” Kanaya said with a slight sniff and an upturn of her nose. Rose smiled clearly refraining from laughing, Terezi just outright cackled.

 

“Relax Karkat! They won’t say anything, I heard they even have a strippers club at the school! I doubt they’ll care about a few bent laws.” Vriska denied immediately with a smirk.

 

“False! The law is absolute! The law says; minor personalizations are permitted so long as they do not prove a distraction to one’s peers. I don’t find their uniforms the least bit distracting.” Terezi cut in cackling wildly. Karkat growled at her.

  
“You’re fucking blind nookbelch!” Karkat snapped causing Terezi to cackle louder and tap her dragon cane against the floor of the luxury machine raucously. Luckily they pulled into the school-feeding building’s driveway quickly enough that he could escape his friend’s familiar shenanigans.

 

This school was the most crass, highblood display of fuckery Karkat had ever been forced to bare witness to, and he was friends with Eridan Ampora. Karkat would have turned around and gotten back into the luxury four-wheel machine if he had not been immediately tackled and lifted off his feet in a crushing embrace.

 

“Karkat! If it isn’t my favorite cyber-troll!” John’s familiar excited chatter pierced Karkat’s aucular sponge clots.

 

“Get off me Egbert!” Karkat shrieked reflexively. He was not sure he would ever get used to anyone but Dave touching him. He briefly wondered if Dave ever would again now that they were not together and he had so many options. He felt a little like he may throw up at the thought.

 

“C’mon Egderp let’s give the troll princess some space.” Dave cut in with that beautiful, infuriating smirk of his.

 

“Dave!” John greeted his best friend with laughter and a hug like they had not seen each other in years.

 

“Woah, awful cuddly this morning bro.” Dave remarked arching one pale eyebrow.

 

“I dunno, I’m just really stoked to see everyone.” John said with a shrug and a laugh. Karkat almost twitched at that and his gaze locked onto John, skeptical but almost hopeful.

“Fall into a shitty Dream Bubble Egbert?” Karkat asked.

 

“What’s a dream bubble?” John asked blankly crushing Karkat’s hopes with a dopey grin, Karkat sighed.

 

“Just weird dreams.” Karkat muttered disappointed.

 

“You always have such weird names for things.” John laughed delighted by what he perceived as Karkat’s imaginative nature.

 

“Get a move on bulgebites, we’re gonna be late.” Karkat barked ushering them into the building.

 

Human school feeding was extremely different to troll school feeding. It was simultaneously harder and easier. Whereas with trolls you needed to select a role or have one chosen for you young, humans had the same general education and chose much later. It gave too much time for doubt to set in, that’s what Karkat thought, but at least it also allowed one more room to grow and actually be happy in their career instead of resigning and resenting as most lowbloods had to. At least he had thought that until he realized the monetary discrepancy. Hemoism still existed it was just skin color and wealth that dictated it in this new world. That was its own kick in the teeth and Karkat wondered if that was also his fault.

 

Karkat was actually relieved to find that despite this highblood school’s status as ‘private’ his entire Swarm was present in his class. Perhaps the game was showing some small mercy in allowing him to guard his oblivious Swarm and keep track of them. Even the Alpha humans were in the class, alongside one other. A  pale young human with a fluffy swath of white hair and vibrant lime green eyes. Calliope...he was somehow sure this was Calliope.

  
Though these bonds were muffled they were the same, he knew in his soul that these were the people he Played with. But something was blocking their memory. The same something that had implanted false ones in his own mind. Was  _ this _ their prize? A ‘normal’ human life? Had his mutation fucked up his only chance to enjoy it obliviously with his friends? Or was there some deeper reason to his memory? What was he supposed to do with himself aware and his Swarm ignorant? Did he leave them blinded but warm in that light or drag them down into the dark horror of memory? Even if he had a way to do it,  _ could _ he?


	2. Shitstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat already had a lot on his plate; he really didn't need this bullshit on top of everything else too.

As it turns out, even if Karkat somehow found a way to wake everyone else up he could not really bring himself to do it. There were moments where he thought Dave may remember and rather than the relief Karkat thought he’d feel, he was terrified for him. Nothing had ever come of it but he felt sicker every time it happened.

 

School feeding was rather simple with the implanted memories to pull from and Karkat had always been a diligent and determined individual. However, Karkat was growing ansty without fighting or training and ended taking up the practice the humans called ballet, it was an almost perfect imitation of his fighting style so he had taken to it at a run and impressed his instructor. The ballet and schoolwork had done well to keep him busy during the day, though his nights by consequence were filled with a crushing loneliness. He had grown used to sharing a pile or sleeping platform with Dave, Kanaya, Rose, Terezi, and/or Vriska. It was somehow colder than his memories of the meteor without them.

 

It was one of these nights where his world shifted once again. Karkat had been laying on the couch watching some Korean drama he had really been getting into when the show was interrupted to display an emergency broadcast.

 

_ ~We are in downtown Tokyo where a massive creature has just stepped out of what looks like a large, and I use the term skeptically, mystic gateway.~ _ The camera panned from the woman making the announcement to show a massive Basilisk, a Basilisk Karkat recognised from his own session. Behind it was the familiar floating green spirograph of a transportalizer. The Basilisk screamed, shattering the glass of buildings all around it. It started swinging big meaty fists and even used a psionic lazer.

 

“NO!” Karkat commanded desperately leaping to his feet his blood pusher pounding in his aucular sponge clots.

 

A sudden light flashed in his eyes distracting him as the word  **Pause** floated before his eyes in alternian. Karkat looked back to the screen and noticed the picture on it was frozen. He looked to Crabdad and saw him still floating above where his legs had just been. This was NOT an ability he had ever had, a boon for winning perhaps? He hardly had the time to think about it, not when he was unsure how long the ability would even last without a time player to maintain it. 

 

Karkat bolted out of his hive block as fast as his short legs would take him. Though it was admittedly faster than even an above average human it was not fast enough for Karkat. He cursed himself for not being God Tier and cursed that he had been unable to access his sylladex. He  _ needed _ his sickles. Desperately he reached again for his sickles and  _ laughed _ when the familiar weight appeared in his hands, elation filling his bones for a moment before the urgency of  _ needing _ to get to the Basilisk and destroy it pushed the feeling out. A sudden sensation, a rush he had never experienced before, filled him as he realised his feet were no longer touching the ground. It had been like getting dunked into cool, refreshing water, like jumping through a waterfall and coming out the other side laughing.

 

**Level Up: Ascended**

**Mission: Pest Control; destroy the Basilisk**

 

Once again alternian appeared before his face. In the corner of Karkat’s vision he could still read the word  **Pause** . Seizing the opportunity despite his reservations Karkat looked behind himself and saw the large gorgeous scarlet wings of God Tier. He had actually God Tiered! Without  _ dying _ ! This  _ had _ to be because he won. He looked down at his clothes and almost cheered when he saw his Knight of Blood pajamas. He even noticed that his hands, and surely the rest of him were back to normal.

 

A thrill filled Karkat’s thorax and he knew he was ready for battle. He never felt more ready to fight in his life. With a powerful stroke of his wings and a trail of glittering powder he dashed towards the area the basilisk was rampaging.

 

Upon reaching the basilisk, Karkat saw that it was still moving and unsuccessfully trying to punch down a building. It was having no effect however and Karkat checked to see if everything was still paused, the word still hovered at the edge of his vision and it seemed like everything but the basilisk was frozen. Karkat put together what was happening quickly and dashed at the game construct with lethal intent. Karkat had never fought while flying however and was not exactly ready to tackle a basilisk while airborne. Dodging a laser meant crashing into a nearby building and attacking caused him to sometimes overshoot and miss. Cursing, Karkat finally just landed and fought the way he was used to.

 

Once his feet hit the ground the basilisk was the one in trouble. It slammed a large ink colored fist down. Karkat easily dodged to the side using his sickles and momentum to slice through the creature’s wrist severing the hand from it entirely. The severed hand hit the ground and glitched before bursting into grist. Karkat danced out of the way of a psionic blast and leapt forth to slice into the creature’s chest. The basilisk stumbled and screeched, knocking Karkat back a little but he had faced these foes before. He countered the screech by slitting the creature’s throat. 

 

The battle had come and gone so fast that Karkat was concerned it was some sort of trick. The basilisk burst into grist and Karkat looked to where the spirograph had been. It had long since vanished but he needed to know what caused it. He could not allow their prize to come under Siege. Not while everyone was defenseless. Taking a deep breath Karkat already decided to protect his friends and this world they had created together.

 

**Mission Complete**

**Rewards:**

**Grist x3546464**

**Status Menu**

**Sylladex**

**World Map**

**Level Up! Ability Gained**

**Ability: Bloodbender; You now have full control of your blood. You can manipulate and weaponize the blood you produce. Your body is a lethal weapon.**

 

That was something definitely worth checking into. If only he were not so petrified of blood in general. Karkat sighed, exhausted by the battle despite how easy it had felt. Looking around at the frozen world he sighed in relief that it appeared untouched. Still, he feared that it was only an illusion and the moment he unpaused that the world they had worked so hard for would crumble, devastated by a battle that had taken place between moments for them. Steeling himself Karkat pulled on the feeling he used to pause before, in a short wave of his hand time resumed.

 

Some people were screaming but calmed when realizing the monster that had been attacking was gon and only the troll remained. Karkat was relieved that nothing really looked damaged and the humans were only shaken. With a heavy sigh he launched into the sky and flew off to a place as close to his hivestem as he dared before hiding in an alley, he stayed there for a few minutes wondering how he was going to get rid of his hideously red wings and what would happen should he meet his Swarm as a troll. 

 

Karkat did not need to wonder for long however because once he used his sylladex to change out of his godtier pajamas and back into more casual clothing he was human again. He cursed the uncomfortable shift from his more natural form and into the strange human skin before finally heading out onto the sidewalk and back towards his hivestem. He had landed quite a ways away however to avoid being seen and that left him far too much time to think about his situation on his own.

 

Karkat’s thoughts kept circling, why were game constructs leaking into their new world? They should have been done, free of battle and that daymare. He wondered if his Awakening had called the game constructs there. It was the only explanation he could think of and it made a pit form in his digestion sack, he wondered what else could possibly go wrong that night. Of course he also did not have to wonder long about that either.

 

The moment Karkat stepped into his hiveblock he had to dodge as a knife sailed at him and imbedded itself in the doorframe. The instant he had dodged his sickles were back in his hands as natural as breathing as he fell into a battle crouch ready to confront the danger in his hive. He glared to where the knife came from and took in the dark skinned man man with one eye and a prosthetic arm. He was extremely well dressed and smirking far too widely at Karkat, too proudly. Karkat did not even need to pull on his human memories to know that this was Spades Slick, he knew his shady friend even in this life.

 

“Slick. What the fuck do you want?” Karkat demanded.

 

“I need a reason to check up on my only heir? I see you’ve been working on your survival skills, good.” Slick said smoothly, he stood up and Karkat furrowed his brows.

 

“Heir? I’m not Heir. What in the bulgesucking universe are you talking about you senial nookstench?” Karkat demanded putting his sickles back into his sylladex and yanking the knife out of the doorframe.

 

“You activated yer flames Kid. Knew ya could do it the minute ya got here. Unlike yer useless brother. Congratulations, you get to inherit the Midnight Crew when I kick the bucket, or when ya get the nerve ta finally kill me yourself.” Slick said smirking wider. Karkat rolled his eyes at his older friend/guardian.

 

“Shut the fuck up bulgescrape. You sound like you’ve lost your goddamn thinkpan. What flames? Why are you even shitting around with this heir bullshit anyway?” Karkat protested chucking the knife at Slick casually, Slick of course caught the blade easily as Karkat knew he would.

 

“I’ve been thinking about expanding the business. Need more people and power for that. So, why not expand the Crew into a real Family, turn it into a Family Business?” Slick was not really asking, he was telling and Karkat was not at all pleased by that.

 

“So you’re just going to make me heir? Fuck what I wanna do with my shitty life I gotta live yours now?” Karkat sneered, Slick laughed raucously.

 

“That’s family fer ya kid!” Slick said way too pleased about the entire situation. Karkat growled and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration for a moment taking a deep breath before speaking again.

 

“Let’s back the fuck up for a minute. What flames were you talking about? I haven’t set anything on fire so why do this in the first place?” Karkat demanded.

 

“There is a subset of rare people on this shithole planet that have unique and almost supernatural abilities that are classified as Flames. There are different types of flames and each one does different shit. The flames you have are the most powerful kind, Sky Flames.” Slick began as he sat back down in the chair. Karkat walked over to the couch and sat down facing Slick and scowling at him.

 

“Sky Flames? Sounds fucking stupid. I haven’t noticed anything.” Karkat scoffed, lying through his damn  _ teeth _ .

 

“Yeah ya have. I can tell just lookin’ at ya.  They’re called Dying Will Flames. They’re a high-density form of energy that comes from someones own life-force. Because a the way it resonates with yer emotions, it’s a type of battle aura. Dying Will Flames is kinda like real flames, even has its own destructive properties,” Slick explained in more detail. “Dying Will Flames are graded according to their purity, which has a direct relationship with the power of an that person’s resolve. Each Flame's attribute has its own special characteristic. There are seven flames fer sky and seven flames fer Earth.”

 

“You sound like a fucking encyclopedia, where the fuck did you even hear this bullshit?” Karkat cut in annoyed. Slick growled at him.

 

“Shut up a minute Kid, there’s more I gotta tell ya. The Earth ones don’t fuckin’ matter right now cause yer a sky. Sky Flames have the greatest propulsion power, especially high-purity ones. They’re kinda mysterious, but its special trait, Harmony, is what’s really important for you. Bearers of the Sky-attribute are said to be extremely rare and most of the known ones share the common trait of possessing great insight. The thing is that the more powerful yer flames are, the more minor elements you need to help balance yer ass out.  _ You _ are massively powerful so ya need to find all six of the other sky elements and bond with ‘em ta balance ya out or yer gonna lose yer goddamn mind.” Slick explained with more patience than Karkat had ever seen in him, it settled in the back of his mind like a new bout of paranoia.

 

“Fucking hoofbeast shit, so you’re telling me that if I don’t find these other flame types to Bond with my thinkpan is going to rot outta my skull?” Karkat said, this day was total shit and he wanted a better prize. “Say I believe you, what am I even looking for?”

 

“There’s no real order to them but the other flames are Storm, Rain, Sun, Mist, Lightning, and Cloud. Storm has the power of disintegration, highly offensive Flames, its Disintegration trait can induce anything that touches the Flames into decaying and breaking apart, including other Dying Will Flames. Rain Flames are more similar to water than actual flames. Its  special trait is Tranquility and carries the meaning of stillness and pacification. These Flames can be used to weaken a target by robbing its strength and ability to move. Sun Flames have the special trait Activation which has the power to induce and improve the efficiency of any type of activity. Good Flame for shit like healing and strengthening individuals. Shit in direct combat. Mist’s got the Construction special trait, makes it great to be used fer Illusions, especially during the creation of Real Illusions. Kinda shitty offence power. Lightning is Solidification, these Flames can be used to harden and increase the firmness of objects. By themselves, the Flames can be used defensively by projecting a solid barrier and offensively by cutting as if really using sharp blades or electrocuting with real electricity. Cloud is the Propagation special trait. Means increasing and replication. Suited for anything that involves increase of size and multiplication of numbers. Good for area shit.” Slick explained a bit long winded.

 

“Fucking hell...This is too much shit. I can’t deal with this right now.” Karkat groaned absolutely fed up with the day and the absurd explanations.

 

“Fine. We’ll talk about this later. Get ta bed Kid. I got some shit ta handle.” Slick said getting up and walking towards the door. “I’ll start trainin’ ya properly tomorrow afternoon so get ready fer that.”

 

“Oh my fucking god get the fuck out of here Slick.” Karkat ordered scowling at the man.

 

“Hah! Get ready spitfuck, I’m comin’ back fer ya tomorrow.” Slick ordered slamming the door shut behind him as he left. 

 

Karkat wanted to scream in frustration but only stood up and headed towards his respiteblock. He was halted however when Kankri came out of his own room and frowned sleepily at him. He tilted his head in concern before finally speaking up completely oblivious to the entire exchange that had just happened out in the communal hiveblock.

 

“Karkat are you still up? It’s  _ three in the morning _ ...This is the third night in a row you haven’t slept. Is something troubling you? Would you like to see a doctor?” Kankri spoke softly his brows furrowed. Karkat could almost feel Kankri’s blood pumper pulse with concern.

 

“I’m fine Kankri, I’ve always had problems sleeping. I’ll crash soon. You have work though and you’re going to feel like irradiated shit if you don’t go back to sleep.” Karkat scolded Kankri reflexively, Kankri sighed.

 

“You don’t have to suffer alone Karkat. Maybe there’s something I can do to help you sleep.” Kankri offered, Karkat was sure that unless Kankri could appearify some sopor for him there was nothing to be done.

 

“I’m fine, fuck! I’m just not used to this whole thing yet. I didn’t think you’d be here hovering like some sentient fucking cloud of awkward insecurity. I didn’t think I’d have to let my Crew go to live these different lives and leave me behind. Fucking shit, Dave promised me he’d never leave me, he promised we’d all be friends and everything would be fucking fine but it isn’t and now I’m stuck dealing with more of the same old bullshit and I can’t even say anything to them because I don’t want to ruin this new life for them! Fucking terrors...I just miss my Crew.” Karkat trailed off his loud venting with a few shaky breaths his eyes overflowing with tears. They were clear and somehow that only served to make him feel worse.

 

“Oh Karkat...do you mean the kids you were in the foster home with?” Kankri wanted clarification but his name for the meteor only emphasized how alone Karkat was in this.

 

“I’m...going to my room.” Karkat sighed suddenly too exhausted to keep standing.

 

Kankri reached out as though he wanted to say more or comfort Karkat in some way but Karkat was just too tired to deal with this human splinter of his dancestor. In the end Kankri did nothing and returned to his own room while Karkat opened his door went to his. A shitty end to a shitty day.


	3. Just a Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat just trying to get used to this new life

The following afternoon saw one grouchy troll at lunch at an empty table. His uniform itched and he’d love nothing more than to switch back to his more comfortable sweaters and lounge pants, but no, that wasn’t allowed in a prestigious school like the one he goes to now. Because that was still a thing that he refused to fully acknowledge. Where was all the money for this even coming from? Slick? Kankri? Both??

 

But, he digresses. He had a shitty time of sleeping last night as per usual, his brain insisting he be awake because that’s just how troll brain chemistry worked. As a result, his insomnia is worse than a giraffes sleeping habits, see: roughly half an hour for every 24 if Jade and Nepeta’s research was right. He was half asleep all through his morning classes and had barely avoided getting called out on for it by one of his teachers. He’d grumble, do his work, write down words in what to any normal human would be nonsense, and was now on his way to face planting into his lunch tray.

 

When had it been that he’d gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep at a time?

 

No, scratch that, when had it been that he’d actually slept at all? Without, he’d add the stipulation, of being knocked the fuck out by his close friend pseudo moirail, or anyone else for that matter.

 

And then it happened. Without any warning given, without the faintest trace that any of this had been remotely planned out, every single one of his Crew made a mass migration over to his empty table like a flock of birds flying south for the winter. He almost wanted to throw his lunch at them for the obnoxious display but he was just too tired and frankly irritated about it. The first to reach his side in a cloud of glee and hair was Jade Harley, basically tackling him as she jumped into the seat beside him.

 

“Sheesh Karkat you took off so fast after class you didn’t even get the homework! We’re doing integers tonight! Pretty important if you wanna steal the top spot~.” Jade said a bright laugh leaving her as she finally released his shoulders to set her own lunch down on the table in front of herself.

 

“Ugh, shit. I just wanted to eat my lunch and maybe stop the pounding at the back of my fucking ganderbulbs but fuck me I guess.” Karkat groaned not at all happy about knowing there was math homework he had forgotten to get.

 

“Nah. Sorry Karkat, but I just don’t like you like that.” Jade denied with a toothy grin.

 

“Gog damn it Jade.” Karkat groaned even louder before slamming his head on the table.

 

“Aw, poor Karkles, rejected.” Terezi cackled as she sat across from him Vriska laughing at her side as she sat down as well.

 

“Maybe you should try scrubs more in your league Karkaaaaaaaat.” Vriska teased positively delighted about the conversation.

 

“You can all fuck right off and eat an entire waste-sack of rotting bulges on your way to hell.” Karkat growled lifting his head to snarl at them.  It almost immediately falls back down to look at a tray that didn’t have much on it to begin with, and yet still nothing even convincingly appeared to have been eaten.

 

“You should eat your lunch Kat, the bell’s gonna ring soon.” John advised sitting down beside him and beaming. The rest of his swarm filled in the table some pulling chairs from surrounding tables and pushing another table together with the one he had chosen and pushing them together.

 

Karkat really got the chance to actually see how large his swarm had gotten and was oddly proud that he had managed to make so many connections. Though the connections with the alpha humans were extremely new and fragile. Despite his exhaustion he vowed to himself to approach these new humans and form more personal bonds with them, they were clutchmates with _ his _ humans after all and his humans had cared for them deeply. He also promised himself that he would spend more time to reconnect with his previously dead friends. He had missed them and though they did not remember their journey together he still cared about them.

 

“When was the last time we all had a chance to actually be together all at ones like this?” Karkat muttered somewhat wistfully.

 

“Hmph, perhaps if some of us made the time to actually talk wwith anyone wwe wwouldn’t be so estranged.” Eridan piped up turning his nose up, his odd speech quirk still present and somewhat comforting to hear.

 

“Good gog Erifish just relax, you’re so needy.” Feferi groaned shaking her head.

 

“I’m just sayin’ if we do somethin’ after schoolin’ together then maybe wwe wwouldn’t be so isolated.” Eridan complained.

 

“No one wants to spend time with you after school loser.” Sollux protested his lisp somehow as prevalent as before the game had started before. Karkat almost cringed at the return of it.

 

“It’s not a bad idea. Spending some time together outside of school activities would do well to keep us from drifting apart after graduation.” Kanaya said reasonably, though her frown of distaste at Eridan was difficult not to notice.

 

“Hm, after everything we’ve been through together I’m not sure that we could drift apart.” Rose reasoned with absolute certainty.

 

“It would help our Bonds if we spent more time together anyway. We’ll figure something out. For now we should get to class though.” Karkat said yawning halfway through before he sighed and began piling his trash onto his food tray to take to the barrel.

 

“Karkat you hardly ate at all.” Jade protested her voice soft with concern. Karkat smiled rueful and shook his head.

 

“I’m just not hungry right now. I’ll eat later.” Karkat deflected as he got up to throw out his food.

 

“Karkaaaaaaaat!” John protested immediately jumping up to try and stop him.

 

“Fuck off Egbert! I’ll eat when I’m fuckin’ ready!” He steeled himself for the Egbert-Harley wide eyes pout face but still had to look away eventually in order to not give in. He gave them, mostly John, the bird as he left the cafeteria, which caused  _ someone _ to bust out into fits of laughter. You could tell Dave and John were both in there, and Terezi’s signature cackle, too. At least the could laugh freely.

 

The day was mostly monotonous and uninteresting, Karkat had to fight to keep from falling asleep in class and that only served to frustrate him with himself. He thought that when he returned to their apartment that he would at least be able to take a short nap or something, the exhaustion hopefully heavy enough that he would fall asleep straight away. However that hope was dashed to pieces with the whistle of a blade almost catching his face. Karkat dodged in time to prevent Slick from cutting his cheek open and fell into his typical fighting crouch.

 

Slick was on his ass with daggers less than a second later and unfortunately the exhaustion tugging at his mind slowed him down enough that Karkat was too late to dodge a slice to his arm ruining the blazer of his pristine uniform. Karkat hissed furiously and lashed out with his heel fully intending to kick Slick in the throat, of course he missed and got Slick’s chin instead but it still gave him enough time to draw his sickles to counter another swing of Slick’s blades. Slick cackled and Karkat snarled at him, his bloodpusher pounding in his thorax.

 

“I guess those pansy ass dance classes really are helping.” Slick taunted causing Karkat to scowl.

 

“You will respect my art if I have to rip the respect from your god forsaken thorax.” Karkat snarled launching forward to slice at Slick’s chest the man barely dodging in time to save his shirt and losing his tie instead once it was sliced in half.

 

“Big words for a runt that’s barely hit puberty.” Slick said far too thrilled with Karkat’s hostility.

 

“Fuck you! Eat my entire fucking waste-chute bulge-gargler!” Karkat hissed using the momentum of a spin to knock Slick’s legs out from under him.

 

Slick managed to save himself from falling and caught Karkat in the shin with his hand yanking Karkat easily into the air and into the coffee table with a crash. Karkat snarled feeling his soft human back already begin to bruise. He rolled just in time to avoid a dagger in the joint of his left shoulder but still recieved a deep cut to the outer meat of it. Using his momentum again he was back into a crouch and launched at Slick so quickly that he managed to slice through his prosthetic arm at the elbow severing it.

 

“You shit!” Slick growled, Karkat gave him a jagged smirk clearly pleased with himself. Slick was quick as he managed to clip Karkat in the hip with his knife. “Don’t get smug shitlick.”

 

“You’re the one that’s smug for a loser with only one arm.” Karkat could not help the taunt. Slick’s look of rage was viscerally satisfying.

 

Their fighting continued in this vein for a good hour before Slick called their training to a quit and Karkat stormed into his room to change. He did not bother with cleaning himself up really and just tossed his ruined uniform into the trash cylinder in his room. Avoiding Slick entirely Karkat climbed onto the fire escape outside his window and just used that to get down onto the street below.

 

Karkat was glad to be wearing his sign again, the sweater certainly helping him to feel more like himself. Karkat somewhat regretted leaving his room however as his entire body was trembling with exhaustion. He was in somewhat of a daze as he let his body walk on without any mindfulness of direction. Eventually he was not at all surprised to find himself standing at the door of the Strider residence. It was something familiar and yet never seen before. Still, even without ever actually having been there it seemed like his body had known the way without him. He lifted a far too soft brown hand to knock on the door and was a little disappointed when the alpha strider was the one to answer it.

 

“Fuck Vantas who kicked your ass?” Dirk asked a pale eyebrow arching beneath his triangle shades.

 

“Fuck off, you should see Slick,” Karkat huffed with a little self-satisfied smirk. He frowned however as he continued. “Where’s Dave?”

 

“Dave is sleeping over at John’s place.” Dirk replied opening the door further. “Get in here, you’re bleeding everywhere dude.”

 

“Fine.” Karkat sighed too tired to argue against Dirk for the most part. Dirk half-herded Karkat towards the bathroom where he pulled out a first aid kit.

 

“Kay, strip down Kitten we’re gonna patch that shit up good as new.” Dirk said monotone despite how he pursed his lips.

 

“I can patch myself up Strider, you’re not my moirail.” Karkat snorted shaking his head a little before peeling his heavy black sweater off. Dirk sucked a breath in through his teeth at the sight of the various bruises and clear knife wounds.

 

“Slick beat the shit outta you a lot over there?” Dirk asked a strangely dark tone in his voice that caused Karkat to look up and blink somewhat sluggishly at him. There was a tension in his body that Karkat was only able to see thanks to his previous intimacy with Dave.

 

“Slick’s always been a ‘stab first, stab later’ kinda asshole. He’s just decided to be even more of a bulgebite since he decided that I’m going to take over the Crew once he croaks.” Karkat explained as he wiped down the far too red stains from his body. Just the sight of the bright red fluid had him shaking more than the exhaustion had and bile teasing at his throat.

 

“He wants you to take over his gang?” Dirk asked both eyebrows flying to his hairline that time.

 

“He has some stupid-ass plan to expand into some bullshit mafia.” Karkat complained taking finally managing to clear most of the blood and smear on some healing ointment.

 

“Mafia? Jegus Karkat what the fuck kind of family did you get adopted by?” Dirk asked a cold weight settled into the bottom of his gut.

 

“A shit one with two pan-rotted chuckle-fucks that’s what kind.” Karkat snorted sarcastically. Karkat continued distracted by finishing up tending to his wounds. “At least the maggot-fucker had the decency to wait until the weekend started to pull this shit.”

 

“There’s no decency in abuse Karkat.” Dirk said firm but clipped in tone.

 

“It’s not abuse Dirk, it’s training.” Karkat remarked offhandedly. That appeared to be the wrong thing to say however as Dirk seemed to almost jump out of his own skin and was standing in front of Karkat between blinks causing the troll in human skin to startle.

 

“This is not training, it is abuse. Training shouldn’t break the skin, training shoulding leave you limping to someone else for shelter, training shouldn’t bruise you like that.” Dirk spoke softly but there was an edge to his voice that Karkat could not read for the life of him. This had gone uncomfortably pale and Karkat just wanted to get away from the situation.

 

“I’m tired Strider...just let me take Dave’s sleeping platform and I’ll get out of your hair.” Karkat sighed looking away from Dirk uncertain how to interact with the alpha Strider.

 

“...You’re always welcome to stay here. You don’t have to go back to that place ever if you don’t want.” Dirk offered offhandedly.

 

“Yeah I’ll just take a platform for the night.” Karkat replied somewhat awkwardly, fuck he missed Dave. It was hard to not start screaming and offending his mate’s hatchmate without the comfort of knowing Dave would not dump him for it.


End file.
